[Rathmal = Jungle geranium (Ixora coccinea) , Wala = waterhole]
Rathmal Wala 4:5 male is one of the biggest and the most confident males we can see in the Yāla Block 1. He was born in late 2014, around the Rathmal Wala area along with two siblings. His mother was the Siyambalagas Wala 3:3 female. One of his sisters managed to establish territory close to their birthplace and she was the Rathmal Wala 4:4 Female. (Other sibling went missing; check Buthawa 2:3 Female)
In November 2015, this young male was seen together with Karawgas Wala 4:4 female. It was interesting to see that as they were not related to each other as per our records.
Rathmal Wala 4:5 male is notoriously known as the “Harak Hora” or “Cattle Thief” as he has hunted buffaloes around Ūraniya and Buthawa Ground. Normally, leopards take it easy with buffaloes and set their sights on other types of prey. But with his inexhaustible reserves of swagger and daring, he has made it clear that he is one of a kind.
In December 2017, there was a very interesting observation. He was seen mating with his mother.
By 2018, he had a large territory in the Southern regions of block 1 which included the areas of Buthawa Ground, Buthawa Spill Road, Karawgas Wewa, Rathmal Wala, Siyambalagas Wala, Gōnagala Road, and Ūraniya. Rathmal Wala is an interesting location because it was his birthplace.
In June 2018, he was seen with a laceration close to his nose. Later, the Department of Wildlife Conservation captured and treated him.
He was seen mating with the Gōnagala 3:4 female around Gōnagala in June 2019. Thereafter, Rathmal Wala male has been observed mating with several females in his larger territory, in the years 2018, 2019, and 2020.
In August 2020, he was seen at the New Road and the Sath Vila Road, indicating his dominion has reached that area also. But actually, he completely left his original territory and moved west of the Yala Block . By the years 2021 and 2022, he was seen around Heen Wewa, Gonagala Wewa, Galalukada Wewa, and the Sathmaga areas more often. (And he has not been seen in his original territory in the years 2022 and 2023). There have been some sightings of him around Ondatje bungalow and Sithulpawwa road, yet no photographic evidence was provided.
